Fun learning English is best suited for children. The use of such a component in learning as games in English for children brings joy, pleasure and high interest on the part of the child to the learning process. Thus, in the process of playing, children master the material well and develop communication skills.
From the article you will learn:
Types of games in English for children
During the learning process, it is necessary to alternate different types of games - for example, role-playing or a game for two or a group of children.
Games can be divided into the following:
- Grammar games- aimed at developing imaginative thinking
- Lexical games— train imaginative thinking, train the use of lexical units.
- Role-playing games- develop creative skills, improve.
Role-playing games for children are especially worth noting. You can play out various situations - going to the store, visiting the doctor, arriving in another country, etc. You can also choose a fairy tale, assign roles and play.
It is also worth noting such games as riddle games, lotto, games to familiarize yourself with various areas of human activity (construction, body parts, etc.).
Outdoor games will also be very interesting - we’ll talk about them.
Interesting role-playing and other games for children
1. Role-playing game by characters
Take, for example, the fairy tale Kolobok. Let everyone try to be a kolobok, a grandfather or a wolf.
2. Sea - Earth (See - Ground)
A circle is drawn (or laid out with a rope). Everything gathers inside the circle. When the leader says - See (sea) - the children jump in a circle. When the leader says “Ground,” the children jump out of the circle. The last one to jump out will be the leader. Or you can do this. The last one to jump out of the circle is eliminated. At the very end there is only one winner.
3. Edible - Inedible (Eaten - Uneatable)
For example, you went through a topic about food. The presenter takes the ball and throws the ball to the child, after naming edible and inedible things. The child tries to catch the ball when an edible thing is called.
4. Find the subject - find the subject. Cold and Hot
Hide any item. The child must find it, and you prompt - cold - cold, cool - cool, warm - warm, hot - hot. When he is away from the subject, say cold. When very close, say “hot”.
5. Flood
This game is suitable for, say, a summer camp. There is one leader in the game. Thick sheets of paper should be laid out on the ground at a sufficient distance from each other. These will be islands. The presenter suggests taking a walk around the city. When the presenter says the word “flood”, the children rush to the “islands” - they try to stand on the nearest sheet of paper. The leader must catch someone before he stands on the island (leaf). The one who catches is appointed as the leader.
6. Colors
The presenter names the color - for example, Green. Children look for objects with this color in the surrounding space - they look for this color on clothes, in the room, on the street.
7. Making words from letters
The leader divides the children into two teams and gives each of them the same letters. 5 minutes are given, and then each team shows the words it has composed. The team that composes the most words wins.
8. Making words from a long word
Give two teams a long word and tell them to make as many words as possible from its letters.
9. Repeat if everything is true - Repeat if true
Place 6-7 cards on the board. The teacher selects one of the cards and briefly describes it in English. If the description matches what is shown on the card, the children raise their hands up. If the description does not match, the children remain silent.
Thus, be sure to include interesting games for children in English in your teaching. This way you can interest children and they will look forward to your lessons with great impatience and anticipation.
Video - game in English for children
Below is a video showing the game edible - inedible (Eaten - Uneatable)
Unlike adults, children have no conscious motivation to learn English. In order for the learning process to arouse real interest in the child, it is very important that it takes place in a fun, exciting manner. The relaxed, playful environment of educational games on the Quicksave portal is the first step to attracting your child's attention.
Learning foreign languages - fun and effective
A set of bright pictures combined with an incomparable soundtrack allows young inquisitive minds to quickly grasp the material and make lasting associations. Completing game tasks and language situations in the format of computer games is a justified decision that really gives results. The main goal is to try to completely immerse yourself in the conversational environment.
A high-quality selection of educational online fun for beginning polyglots from Quicksave allows you to:
- Determine the level of preparation and individual propensity of children to learn and focus on strong areas, paying special attention to lagging skills: reading words, writing letters, listening to phrases, etc.;
- Make a generous intellectual contribution to the promising future of the younger generation. For those who want to become linguists or graduate from university in England, speaking English can be a huge advantage;
- Develop motor and speech skills, improve auditory perception. Training linguistic abilities from early childhood is an effective exercise for strengthening motor skills and hearing.
Colorful, extremely simple interface - ideal for children's perception
Children adapt more quickly to a foreign language, feeling brain load less critically than their parents. Therefore, adults are obliged to encourage the children's audience in every possible way, attracting them to the language virtual environment as early as possible.
Don't miss the opportunity to play interesting flash games for free from the categories: , . Participating in text twists, guessing words and phrases, solving crossword puzzles - such fresh and educational entertainment will help significantly expand your vocabulary. Linguistic games without registration from Quicksave will help you learn the alphabet, consolidate the meaning of memorized words, and take initial steps in learning the grammar of the generally accepted popular language that Shakespeare spoke.
Games used in English lessons for preschoolers
Games used in English lessons for preschoolers to introduce and reinforce learned material and activate the learning process
1. “Fun exercise”Instructions: “I call the commands in English, and you follow them. But there is one condition: if I politely ask you to make a command, for example, “Please run,” then you carry it out, and if I don’t say the word “please,” then you do nothing. Be careful!"
2. Game (to consolidate the structure “I can...”
The presenter counts to five: “One, two, three, four, five!” Then he says: “Stop!” While counting, children perform voluntary movements, and at “Stop!” freeze. After this, the presenter “revites” the players. He approaches each child in turn and asks: “What can you do?” The child “dies away”, answering: “I can run” - depicts the desired action.
3. "Merry Count"
The ball is passed around the circle to the count: one! Two! Three! Four! Five! Good-bye! The one who has the ball in his hand at “Good-bye” is eliminated. The game lasts until only one player remains. Which will be the winner.
4. “Who are you?”
Players guess a profession. The host throws a ball to each player and asks “Are you a cook?” If the player has chosen this profession, he answers: “Yes”, if not, then “No”.
5. "Corridor"
Ask the children to break into pairs, hold hands, stand pair by pair and raise their joined hands high above their heads, forming a “corridor.”
The presenter must walk along the “corridor” and choose one of the players in any pair, ask him who he is (Who are you?) and what is his name (What is your name?).
The child must answer: “I am a girl/a boy.” My name is…..). Then the driver says: “Come here!” (“Come here!”) - and takes the player’s hand. The kid answers: “With pleasure!” (“With pleasure!”). After this, a new couple passes along the “corridor” and stands after the rest of the players. The new leader becomes the one who was left without a partner.
6. “Little ring”
The presenter hides the coin between his palms. Children stand in a semicircle, placing their palms together. The presenter approaches each player and says, spreading his palms apart with his palms: “Please!” The player must answer: “Thank you!” Having walked around everyone and quietly given a coin to one of the children, the leader asks: “Little ring!” Come here! The game continues: now the driver will be the one who ran out of the semicircle with a coin in his hands.
7. "Broken phone"
Children sit in a semicircle. To the one sitting on the edge, the presenter speaks an English word (according to the topic covered or studied). The word is passed on to a friend's ear. If the last player said the word that the host wished for, it means “the phone is not damaged.”
8. “Read my lips”
The presenter pronounces English words without a voice. Players must recognize the word by the movement of the leader's lips.
9. “Edible-inedible”
The presenter says the word in English and throws the ball to the child. The kid must catch the ball if the word means an edible object. If the word denotes an inedible object, there is no need to catch the ball.
10. “Who’s in the bag?”
The presenter puts the toys in a bag. Then he brings it to each player. The child puts his hand into the bag and guesses by touch what kind of object it is. He says: “It is a...” Then he takes it out of the bag, and everyone looks to see if he named it correctly.
11. “What’s missing?” (“What’s the missing?”)
The presenter arranges the toys. Asks the children to name them and remember them, and with the command “Close your eyes!” close eyes. Then he removes one of the toys and at the command “Open your eyes!” asks children to open their eyes and guess which toy is missing.
12. "Blind Man's Bluff."
Children stand in a circle. The presenter is blindfolded. One of the players leaves or hides. The presenter is untied and asked: “Look at us and say who has run away?” . The presenter answers: “Sveta.”
13. Role-playing game “In the shop”
Children are divided into the roles of seller and buyer. The seller lays out products and greets customers.
- What would you like?
-I’d like……
-Here you are.
-Thank you.
-My pleasure.
14. “Traffic lights”
The leader and the children stand opposite each other at some distance. The presenter names the color in English.
Children must find the color indicated by the presenter on their clothes, demonstrate this color and go to the presenter’s side.
Anyone who doesn't have the right color must count one, two, three! Run to the opposite side. If the leader catches one of the children, then the one caught becomes the leader.
15. "Echo"
Turning to the side, the teacher pronounces the words covered in a clear whisper. Children, like an echo, repeat every word after the teacher.
16. "English-Russian"
If the teacher says an English word, the children clap.
If it's Russian, they don't clap. (It is advisable to play the game at the initial stage of learning English).
17. Game “Make an animal” (“Turn into an animal”)
At the teacher’s signal, all children scatter around the classroom. On the signal: “Make an animal!” (clap your hands) all players stop at the place where the team found them and take some kind of animal pose.
The teacher, approaching the children, asks: “Who are you?” The child answers: “I’m a cat.”
18. Game to consolidate structures: “It is cold (warm, hot).” (Cold, warm, hot)
The presenter is asked to turn away or go out the door for a while. At this time, players hide an object in the room, having previously shown it to the presenter. When the item is hidden, the leader enters (turns) and begins to look for it. The players tell the host in English whether he is far or close to the hidden object. In this case, the expressions “it’s cold (warm, hot)” are used.
19. Game “Guess whose voice” (reinforcing the pronouns he/she)
The presenter turns his back to the players. One of the players pronounces a phrase in English (the phrase is selected in relation to the topic covered), and the presenter guesses who said it: “She is Sveta. He is Misha)
20. Game "Hide and Seek"
Children close their eyes. The presenter hides the toy behind his back. Children open their eyes and ask the presenter questions, trying to guess who he hid: “Is it a bear/a frog/a mouse?” And the leader answers: “Yes/No.” The one who guessed right goes to lead next.
21. “Stand up those who...”
The teacher says the phrase: “Stand up, who.....(has a sister/brother, is 5/6/7, likes ice cream/ fish, can/can't swim/fly." Students get up from their chairs depending on the command .
22.Guess: who is he (she)?
A driver is selected from among the children. The players name signs of clothing that can be used to guess the hidden child. She has a gray sweater. The driver asks: Is it Sveta?
23. "What is missing"
Cards with words are laid out on the carpet, and the children name them. The teacher gives the command: “Close your eyes!” and removes 1-2 cards. Then he gives the command: “Open your eyes!” and asks the question: “What is missing?” Children remember missing words.
24. "Pass the card"
Children sit in a semicircle and pass a card to each other, naming it. The teacher calls the word in advance. To complicate the task, children can say: “I have a...” / “I have a... and a...”.
25. "Forbidden movements"
At the beginning of the game, the driver gives a command that cannot be performed (for example, run) and gives the instruction: “When you hear the command run, you must stop and not move.”
26. "Words road"
Cards are laid out on the carpet one after another, with small intervals. The child walks along the “path”, naming all the words.
27. "Is it true or not?"
The game can be played with a ball. The driver throws the ball to any of the players and names the phrase, asking the question: “Is it true or not?” The player catches the ball and answers: “Yes, it’s true,” or “No, it’s not true.” Then he becomes the driver and throws the ball to the next player.
For example:
Yellow lemon Pink pig
Orange bear Brown monkey
White snow Red crocodile
Purple mouse Green grapes
Gray elephant Purple cucumber
Blue apple Black sun
28. "Confusion"
The driver calls a command and at the same time shows another. Players must follow the command that the driver calls, and does not show. Whoever makes a mistake leaves the game.
29. “Tell me something beginning with.....”
The driver says the words: “Tell me something beginning with “s”.” Players must name as many words as possible that begin with the sound "s".
It has long been known that while playing, children simultaneously learn, including how to resolve conflict issues or communicate with peers. But also in the process of playing, children can instill knowledge, for example, teach them foreign languages.
When games in English are used as a teaching aid, you should not require much activity from the baby. Not every child is immediately able to speak a foreign language. There is a concept of “passive knowledge” - when a person observes, listens, remembers, but remains silent, and only some time later he suddenly reveals what he once remembered. Classes should be continued in any case, because for children who have been studying from an early age, it is easier for them to adapt to the school system and begin real studies.
"English - Russian"
If the teacher pronounces a Russian word, then the children clap, but if it is an English word, then they do not clap. This game is best to start learning English.
“So or not?”
A simple game that children enjoy playing. Drawings of any objects (dishes, transport, vegetables, etc.) are used here. Teacher, showing a drawing, the teacher asks:
Is this a pear? - Is this a pear?
If the picture is actually a pear, then the baby should answer:
Yes, it is! - Yes.
If there is something different in the picture, then the answer should be like this:
No, it is not! - No.
“Whose baby is it?” (Whose child is this?)
Place pictures of animals with babies on the table and ask:
Whose baby is kitty? - Whose child is the kitten?
The kid must find a card with the corresponding adult animal - a cat, and then answer:
A kitty is a cat’s baby. - A kitten is a child of a cat.
A hen has a chicken.
A pig has a pigling.
A duck has a duckling.
"Dating while walking"
All children take part in the game at the same time. The teacher commands “Walk” and starts playing any English song. Children walk around the room, as if on the street - running, jumping, sitting. The teacher turns off the music and commands “Stop”, the children immediately get into pairs and begin to “get acquainted” with the following dialogue:
"Fun exercise"
The teacher explains to the children that he will command in English, and they must follow the commands. But with a condition: if the command is polite (please, go), then it will need to be executed, and if without please, then nothing will be done. That is, attentiveness is required here.
"Corridor"
Let the children break into pairs, holding hands, stand in a “stream” and raise their hands above their heads, forming something like a corridor. The driver, walking along the corridor, selects one of the players and asks him “Who are you?” and “What is your name?” To this the chosen one must answer “I am a boy/a girl.” My name is...". After this, the driver offers “Come here!”, and takes the child by the hand. He must answer “With pleasure!” The resulting pair walks to the end of the corridor and stops there. The child who is left without a partner becomes the driver.
Making educational cards for children is very simple - both mothers and fathers can handle it. For this you will need: cardboard; printing paper...
"Broken phone"
Children sit in a semicircle, after which the outermost child says an English word on a given topic, but quietly - in the ear of a neighbor, the next one, and so on until the end of the row. If the same word reaches the last player, then the “telephone” is working properly.
"Edible - inedible"
The presenter, pronouncing an English word, throws the ball to the participant in the game. He should catch the ball only when it was about an edible object. If it was inedible, then the ball should be discarded.
"Please show me..."
On the table you need to lay out pictures or figures of recently learned animals, vegetables or fruits. Children should be asked questions like “Please, show me a cat”? “Please, show me an apple” or “Please, show me a carrot.”
“Which number is missing?”
The game host says the question “What number is missing?” and after that begins to count in English from one to the number that the group of children has already learned. Children must listen carefully to the count and discover which number will be missed. You can later complicate the task by skipping several numbers at a time.
A game that helps improve your English vocabulary
To expand your children's English vocabulary, you can play the following game with them. You need to prepare two images, for example, a dog and a person, and divide the children into two teams. Prepared cards with various English verbs must be given to the presenter, who will take them out one at a time, and the children will indicate which word corresponds to the image. For example:
- to go - to go, more related to a person;
- to run - to run, corresponding to both a person and a dog;
- to play - to play is also typical for both humans and dogs;
- to bark - bark, a verb describing the behavior of a dog.
For each correct answer, teams receive one point, and the one with the most points wins. Using similar games, you can learn not only verbs, but also other parts of speech (nouns, adjectives).
"Cold-hot"
Using a counting rhyme, you need to choose a child who will be the driver (you can volunteer). The teacher shows all the children (including the driver) a toy that will be hidden and asks the question “What is it?”, and the children must answer: “This is a...”, naming the animal, for example, cat. You can use other forms of questions: “Is this a cat or a dog?”, “Is this a cat?”, “What color is this cat?”. When the children get acquainted with the toy, the driver goes out the door and the toy hides. Then the following happens:
The driver enters, and the children call him to the center of the room: “Come here, please.” There are four search directions in front of it, and after the search command “Seek!” in any of them he can take three steps. The rest count: “one, two, three.” If he moves in the wrong direction, then the children exclaim: “It is cold!”, after which the driver returns to the center and goes in a different direction. When he chooses the right direction, the children exclaim: “It is a worm!”, and when he is near the hidden toy, the exclamation should follow: “It is hot!”
When parents work with their baby day after day, achieving his gradual development, they are often surprised by such a moment - the baby has difficulty l...
“Close your eyes and draw a funny man”
With the help of the interesting game “Close your eyes and draw a funny fellow,” you can successfully repeat and reinforce vocabulary from the topic “body parts.” The child is given a sheet of paper and a bright felt-tip pen (so that all the children can see), after which he is blindfolded and begins to draw. At the same time, the person drawing must voice everything he draws: “these are his eyes”, “this is his nose”, etc. Variations such as “this is my...” or “this is her...” are acceptable. Here, along with the assimilation of words, the forms “this is”, “there are”, as well as the possessive pronouns his, her, my, are remembered.
"Snowball"
This game can be used both to review previously learned topics and to learn new ones. Place photographs, postcards or pictures with people, objects or animals that correspond to the topic being studied in front of the children. The first player names any of the objects that he sees in the picture, for example, “a dog.” The next participant repeats this word and supplements it with the following “a dog, a cat”, another one says “a dog, a cat, an elephant”.
"Magic bag"
A sufficient number of small toys (5-7 pieces) on the topic being discussed are put into a bag, but before that the teacher shows them to the children. The driver takes a toy out of the bag, hiding it in a clenched fist, and asks:
- What is this?
— Is this a lemon? - the children answer the question with a question.
- Yes, it is. (No, it is not).
If the leader’s answer is negative, the children ask new questions. When they guess right, the toy is laid out on the table in front of them. When at the end of the game all the toys are guessed, the children list them in unison: “this is an apple”, “this is an orange”, “this is a pear”. Then, if desired, children can say the English names of objects alone."Letters and numbers"
This game is especially useful for children who are starting to learn English and have only managed to learn letters and numbers. There should be no more than 4-5 participants in the game and it is better to play it on the street. On the asphalt you need to draw circles with chalk and in each of them a particular number or letter. When the teacher names one of the signs, the children must find a circle with it and stand in it. With the help of such a game, children will better remember the graphic image and sound of the sign, and, in addition, they will also run around to their heart’s content.
"Number and Color"
Seat the children at a large table or in a circle on the floor and give each one a card with a number, and lay out multi-colored cards in the center of the table or circle. The teacher calls the number and color, for example, “Three - blue.” The kid, holding the number 3 in his hands, finds and shows a blue card, and other children carefully watch him, and if he makes a mistake, correct him.
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— a page with all the basic materials for teaching English to children) . Using various games in the classroom is very effective for memorizing new words and grammatical structures. Lessons based on the principle of play are best suited for working with children, as they are much more interesting for younger students.
What types of games are there?
Educational games for learning Englishthere are different types. They are all good in their own way. They can be alternated, or one or another type of game can be used depending on the age and preferences of the students. Games can be used to repeat and consolidate the material covered, as well as to expand the vocabulary of older students and give them the opportunity to develop speech (for example, in role-playing games).
Outdoor games
Outdoor games occupy a special place in the educational process of preschoolers and primary schoolchildren. It is still difficult for first and second graders to focus their attention for a long time, so outdoor games are ideal in this case. They allow you to switch and relax in order to maintain attention at the proper level.
- For example, ball games. To reinforce vocabulary on the topic of food in elementary school, you can play “ Eatable-Uneatable"("Edible - inedible"). The teacher throws a ball to the student and says the names of foods or inedible things in English. If the object is edible, you need to catch it, and if not, then don’t catch it. The higher the level of the students, the more different words can be involved in the game. In addition, it is possible to organize work on other topics using the same principle. This game is easy to play as a child at home or while traveling.
- Another fun game for schoolchildren 1- 2 classes — « Colors" The teacher calls a color, and the students must find a thing of the same color in the room and touch it.
- You can play the game " Owl" It is identical to the Russian game, only all commands are given in English. They choose a driver and an owl. There are two main commands - “Day!” and "Night!" When the leader gives everyone else playing the command “Day!” and, for example, “Dogs run!”, all players must depict the required animal, it can be different. When the command “Night” is given, everyone must freeze, and the “owl” catches everyone who moves, and they are eliminated from the game. The more children participate in the game, the more interesting it is and the longer it lasts.
- For 5th grade schoolchildren and older people will enjoy the game " Memes" The presenter thinks of a word, which the student must show with gestures without using speech. The one who guesses it shows the next word. Children must guess and ask questions in English only. You can gradually introduce more complex words or guess words in two teams against time.
Role-playing games
Role-playing games are suitable for more advanced levels. Such games help to simulate the situation of direct communication in the classroom and motivate students to actively express themselves.
- The most popular and simple game often played by children in America, Simon Says. One of the children plays the role of Simon and gives tasks to the other children. They must carry them out when the instruction is preceded by the phrase “Simon says”, and not when it is not. Those who are inattentive are eliminated from the game. Gradually it is worth increasing the pace of the game and complicating the tasks. Since children in Russia are not native speakers, this game is suitable for older children, starting from 3 classes or 4 classes , and the tasks themselves could be simpler.
Examples of tasks:
Simon says walk like a penguin.
Simon says start singing.
Simon says stand on one foot.
More tasks can be foundin this video :
More complex role-playing games are intended for schoolchildren who are already able to construct statements and maintain a dialogue on a given topic. Examples of such games can be found in any textbook.
- For example, student #1 should play the role of a journalist who interviews student #2. Or one plays the role of a seller in a store, and the other a buyer, etc. It all depends on the language level of the students and the imagination of the teacher.
- Role-playing games also include acting out dialogues and skits, so if possible, you can organize a small school theater.
Board games
To desktop games include a variety of puzzles and other activities with words. To make puzzles, you need to write phrases on a piece of paper and cut them into two parts so that you can then connect the beginning with the end (you can do it temporarily). You can make cards with words in English and their translation, put them in a hat and play with two teams. The team that collects the most language pairs in a certain amount of time wins.
- Another game popular among English teachers is " Word Race" It is played in two teams. A specific topic is given, and each team must name as many words as possible on this topic. The game is suitable for older students and perfectly activates vocabulary.
- Board games for the whole family are very popular Brainbox. Each set contains word cards, an hourglass, a die and game rules. With the help of this toy, children and parents will be able to memorize new words in a fun and enjoyable way. Such sets are available for different ages and audiences - on Ozone ( here ) you can buy this game at a discount. And in this video you will learn about the rules in it:
Online Games
Developmental Games on the Internet are often enjoyed by modern children much more than outdated board games. They have a pleasant design and are intuitive, so they can also be adapted for teaching English with your child at home or on vacation. A large number of flash games for beginners can be found Here . They are aimed at memorizing the alphabet, numbers, animal names and other basic vocabulary.
A well-known site with a large selection of games is also FunBrain . It is suitable for children up to 8th grade. The games and tasks are bright and interesting, many based on modern children's and teenage books and cartoons.
Website Week English The good thing is that it offers games for all ages and levels. Here you can play simple traditional games like Hangman or something more interactive and fun.
Games are a fun and entertaining way to learn a foreign language. However, they are good as an addition to the main material and do not teach practically anything new on their own. They are best used as a supplement or used during a short break during the lesson.
I hope you found some interesting ideas for using games to learn English. See you again on my blog!